Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice
by Neuropsych
Summary: (COMPLETE) Gina comes for a visit with Sam, and Jack can't stay away (Better have some insulin ready folks, this one's earmarked to be sappy!)
1. 01

Sugar and Spice, and Everything Nice  
  
Author's Note: Well, here it is! A GINA story! Sam and Jack and Gina, with no purpose other than to be sweet and sappy, so if you like that sort of stuff, sit back and get the popcorn out... We'll see where it ends up going. if you haven't read Good Morning, Campers! you're not going to know who Gina is... you can probably still read this one, just bear in mind that Gina is a 5th grader.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sam or Jack or any of them, but I do get to lay claim to Gina  
  
........................  
  
There was a knock on the door, and Sam looked up from the microscope she was adjusting. She smiled when she saw who was at the door, and waved for him to come in.  
  
"You wanted to see me, Carter?" Jack asked, coming across the room and standing next to her. Not touching, but just close enough that she'd know he would be touching her if they weren't on base.  
  
"It could have waited." She'd only called him a few minutes before.  
  
"I wasn't doing anything important."  
  
He reached over and picked up a small device that was sitting on the counter, and looked at it curiously, turning it over in his hands to see it from all sides.  
  
"You probably shouldn't-"  
  
The device zapped him, and Jack dropped it with a curse.  
  
Sam closed her eyes as it shattered on the floor.  
  
"Sorry." He stuck his abused hand against his side, cradling it gingerly.  
  
"It's all right."  
  
"What was it?"  
  
"It doesn't matter." It had been a very expensive piece of diagnostic instrumentation. Now it was garbage.  
  
He looked at his hand, but it was fine.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
He reached for another one of her doohickeys.  
  
"Jack."  
  
His hand jerked back.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Uh huh." She couldn't help but smile, though. Sometimes he was like a kid in a toy store. So many things to touch, so little time to break it all. Speaking of kids. And breaking things.  
  
"I have to break our date tonight."  
  
"Oh?" He leaned against the counter, knowing there had to be a good reason for it, and reached out absently and picked up the doohickey he'd already been warned away from. "Another man?"  
  
She smiled and took the device away from him. This one she really needed in one piece.  
  
"A female."  
  
"Ooo, kinky."  
  
Sam laughed.  
  
"It's Gina. Her mother is going away for the weekend – a dance thing in Las Vegas – which isn't going to be really very much fun for Gina, although she could go if she really wanted to. So her mother asked if I wanted her for the weekend, and I said yes."  
  
"What about her sister?" Jack asked. He knew the little girl had at least one sister.  
  
"She's staying at a friend's."  
  
"So it's just Gina?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Can I come over?"  
  
"Of course." Sam smiled. "I'm pretty sure you were at least a large part of the reason Gina wants to come visit me."  
  
"She knows a good guy when she meets one." Jack said, puffing his chest out and striking a pose.  
  
Carter rolled her eyes.  
  
"I'm going to pick her up when I get off this evening, and then we'll go to my house from there. You want to come over tonight? Or wait for tomorrow?"  
  
"Will I be in the way if I come tonight?"  
  
"Never."  
  
He smiled, suppressing a desire to kiss her for making him feel so important and loved with just one word.  
  
"Then I'll come over tonight. We can have a nice quiet dinner, maybe watch a few movies..."  
  
"Do our hair and makeup..."  
  
"Maybe watch another movie..."  
  
Sam laughed, and took yet another piece of her equipment from him when he picked it up. That one was important, too.  
  
"So I'll see you tonight?"  
  
"What's for dinner?"  
  
"Something easy."  
  
"Barbeque?"  
  
"It's too cold to barbeque. How about fast food?"  
  
"You're going to feed the child all that sodium, grease and cholesterol?" He looked shocked.  
  
"What do you have in mind?"  
  
"How about I cook dinner?"  
  
"What? Mac and cheese?"  
  
He reached over and tapped her on the nose.  
  
"And hot dogs."  
  
"How about we order a pizza?"  
  
"No. I want real food."  
  
"How about soup and sandwiches?"  
  
"And chips?"  
  
"And feed her all that sodium and grease and cholesterol?"  
  
"Touché."  
  
She grinned.  
  
"Soup and sandwiches?"  
  
"Sounds good. Need me to bring anything?"  
  
"Some soup... and bread... and maybe stuff to make sandwiches."  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"We'll stop and rent movies on our way home."  
  
"No cartoons."  
  
"We'll let her choose."  
  
"No chick flicks, either."  
  
"We'll see."  
  
He was going to end up watching Bambi, he just knew it. But he was also going to get to see Gina, so he supposed it was a fair exchange. Jack nodded.  
  
"I'll see you tonight, then."  
  
"Sounds good."  
  
He turned to go, but Carter cleared her throat and held out her hand. Jack looked down at the doohickey he'd picked up while they were discussing the movie and dinner, and handed it back to her.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
She smiled, and shooed him out of her office. 


	2. 02

The skies were darkening by the time O'Neill got into his truck to head over to Carter's after he'd checked out of the base for the day. Not that it was all that late, because it wasn't, but there was obviously a storm coming, and to judge from the clouds, it was going to rain on them before the night was through. Oh well, they weren't planning on going to park, anyways. But of course, that also meant no pretending that he hadn't heard Sam say no to barbeque.  
  
Bah.  
  
He drove to the grocery store that was just down the street from her house, and bought soup, bread, ham, turkey, roast beef, cheese and every thing he thought they might need for their dinner that night. Then, deciding that they'd probably want something for breakfast the next morning – and unsure what exactly Sam had at her house – he also bought cereal, pancake mix, eggs, and bacon. A box of ice cream rounded out his purchases and he headed back to his truck with an armload of grocery bags.  
  
Carter wasn't home when he pulled up, but that was no big deal. He had a key to her house. Although it would have been nice to have help with the bags. He let himself in and put the groceries away, then debated whether or not to start dinner. He was starving. But he didn't know how long they were going to be – since he didn't know exactly where Gina lived, and he didn't know how long it would take them at the video store – so he decided to wait.  
  
He flopped down on the sofa and turned on the TV, looking through channels until he found a game, then settled back to wait for the girls.  
  
.........................  
  
They didn't make him wait all that long. Jack was yelling at a referee's call no more than a half hour later when he heard the door open, and the sound of Sam talking to someone else. He turned and looked over the back of the sofa and saw Carter coming through the door, followed by one of the cutest little girls Jack had ever seen.  
  
"Jack!"  
  
He grinned at such ready affection, and caught her when she came around the sofa and hurled herself into his arms, grinning happily and hugging him tight.  
  
"Hey, Gina," he said, scooping her up into his lap. "How are you, sweetheart?"  
  
"I'm great. It's so good to see you!"  
  
"You, too."  
  
"You look a lot better than you did."  
  
Since he'd been badly bruised and beat up the last time she'd seen him, that didn't take much. He smiled and hugged her again, looking over at Sam and smiling a greeting to her as well.  
  
"I wasn't sure how long you guys would be, so I didn't start dinner."  
  
"No problem," Sam said. "I can start it."  
  
"Oh, no. I promised to cook dinner."  
  
"I don't mind."  
  
"You can make breakfast."  
  
"Can I help you make dinner, Jack?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Let's get you settled in the guest room, first," Sam suggested.  
  
Jack stood up, and let her slip out of his lap as he did so, so she could go with Sam down the hall and into the guest room, where Carter helped her unpack her bag and stash her stuff in the top drawer of the small dresser in there.  
  
Jack watched from the doorway, leaning against the frame as he watched the two of them chatting happily. Gina was just as cheerful a child as he remembered her to be.  
  
They finished fairly quickly – it wasn't like she was moving in full time, after all, so there wasn't that much to unpack – and Gina rushed over for another hug from Jack before she ran down the hall towards the kitchen.  
  
"You can come, too," Jack told Sam, putting his arm around her and walking with her back down the hall at a far more sedate pace than the little girl had.  
  
"What? I have to help?" Sam asked, smiling as she went willingly.  
  
"Nah, you have to show me where all the things are."  
  
He didn't cook at her house all that often. For some reason he and Sam spent far more time at his house. Maybe because it was on a quieter street, or because it was bigger, Jack didn't know.  
  
"We brought DVDs." Gina informed him as she brought a chair over to stand on so she could help him. Jack handed her a loaf of bread so she could make sandwiches.  
  
"Oh, yeah?" He asked. "Which ones?" Please not Bambi. Please not Bambi.  
  
"_Oklahoma_. _Grease_, and _Annie_."  
  
Musicals? Oh well, it was better than Bambi.  
  
"Sounds great."  
  
"Yeah, I like the dancing in them. Sam let me pick them out."  
  
"She told me she was going to."  
  
Of course she liked the dancing in them. Her mother was a dance instructor, and Gina – as Jack recalled – was one hell of a dancer. Especially for an eleven year old.  
  
They chatted amiably while Jack made the soup, and Gina fixed the sandwiches. He gave her free rein on the sandwich making, which basically meant that she over loaded them with meat and cheese. Not as far as Jack was concerned – since he was hungry – but Sam looked at the hefty sandwich the little girl put on her plate, and cut it in half, figuring she'd most likely end up giving at least that much to Jack to finish off for her.  
  
He shooed the two of them to the table, and served them their soup there, and the three of them had a very pleasant dinner. They talked about Gina, mostly. What her mom was doing in Vegas – a dancing contest for a few of her more advanced students – and what the little girl had been doing in school that week. What her favorite subjects were, and how much she'd learned. And Jack found out far more about her fish than he really wanted to know. He hid it well, though, and even Sam – who knew him better than pretty much anyone – couldn't tell that he wasn't completely entranced about Finny, Gilly, Bob, Mustard and Fred.  
  
Then Gina turned the conversation to Daniel and Teal'c, asking Jack how they were doing. They were fine, of course, and Jack told her what they'd been up to since she'd seen them all last – of course he left out the whole going through the Stargate to other worlds things, but he told her what he could.  
  
"Why don't you guys go pop in a movie while I clean up the dinner dishes?" Sam said, when Jack was talked out, and dinner was eaten.  
  
"I can do them, Sam," Jack said.  
  
"I've got them." There weren't all that many, after all. "Gina? Why don't you get ready for bed, so you don't have to do that later?" They weren't going to go anywhere else that night, after all. Especially since she thought she could hear it beginning to rain outside the dining room window.  
  
"Okay, Sam."  
  
She went down the hall, and Jack listlessly flipped through their choices of movies. _Grease_? _Oklahoma_? He didn't want to watch _Annie_. Sam grinned as she watched him, but she didn't say anything. Instead she picked up the dishes and rinsed them off and put them in the dishwasher.  
  
"What are we going to watch, Jack?" She asked when she was done. He was still looking through them. Probably trying to figure out which was shortest, she decided with a smile.  
  
Gina reappeared from the spare room before Jack could answer. She was wearing a long flannel nightgown, and looked absolutely adorable, Sam thought.  
  
"Can we watch _Annie_, Jack?"  
  
"Of course, Sweetheart." This time, though, he hadn't been able to hide the lack of enthusiasm, and even though Gina didn't notice, Sam did, and she couldn't hide her amusement. 


	3. 03

They settled on the couch to watch the movie. (Although Jack had trouble actually calling _Annie_ a movie, since his version of a movie was one where people spoke to each other, and didn't break into singing every time they wanted to make a point to someone) Sam cuddled next to him on one side, and Gina took the other side, which was nice, but it also meant he couldn't even lie down and hopefully fall asleep during it.  
  
"Have you ever seen this, Jack?" Gina asked him.  
  
Hmmm... if he said yes, was she going to question him about it? Which meant that she'd pretty much instantly figure out that he hadn't actually seen it. Or be honest and say no? Would she keep checking to see what he thought of each part? Or worse, each singing thing? He decided on honesty, just because.  
  
"No." He shook his head.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"I've seen it about a million times." She looked at Sam. "Have you seen it?"  
  
"Oh, about a million times."  
  
Jack scowled.  
  
"You'll love it, Jack."  
  
Oh. He was sure he would.  
  
............  
  
He didn't love it. He really didn't even like it. He didn't like the singing. He didn't think all that much of the dancing, and he didn't even think the story itself was all that great. Certainly not as good as _Die Hard_, or _Under Siege_. Or pretty much any other movie.  
  
But he did enjoy watching her and Sam watch the movie. Gina knew the dance moves to the movie perfectly, and every now and then she'd hop up and dance along – in perfect step to whoever was dancing on the DVD. Sometimes, Sam and Gina would simply sing along to whoever was singing. Both of them sounded far better to him than the people on the DVD did, but he didn't say it. He didn't want either of them to know he didn't think as much of the show as they did. Because it was obvious to him that they both actually HAD seen the movie a gajillion times, and they both loved it. And he didn't want to rain on their parade.  
  
Finally the last song was sung, and the last dance was danced and the words he'd been waiting to see since the opening credits came over the screen. 'The End'. Thank God. Gina smiled up at Jack, and Sam looked over at him. The little girl didn't notice it, but Jack's eyes were glazed over a bit, and Sam thought they'd better take a break from musicals before he went catatonic.  
  
"I saw some ice cream," She said. "Why don't we get some?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
Gina launched herself from the couch and was in the kitchen in a flash. Jack and Sam went a little more slowly.  
  
"Big bowl or little bowl?" Jack asked Gina as he reached into the freezer.  
  
"Big bowl!"  
  
He grinned, ignored Sam's slightly disapproving look about giving the child so much ice cream so soon before bedtime, and dished her up a heaping bowl, thinking – belatedly, of course – that he should have gotten the stuff to make sundaes. She carried her bowl into the living room, and sat down on the sofa to eat it, humming one of the Annie songs as she did so.  
  
"You're going to make her sick," Sam whispered to him, bumping her hip into his as he dished her up a bowl of ice cream.  
  
"Nah, she'll be okay. You'll see."  
  
"Oh, sure. I'll see in the middle of the night when she wakes up with a stomach ache..."  
  
"She won't."  
  
"She could."  
  
"Not a chance. It's just ice cream... it's not like I'm feeding her a dozen candy bars or something. Ice cream is good for you."  
  
Sam shook her head, knowing she wasn't going to win this one. Besides, it was a moot point. Gina already had her ice cream, and neither of the adults would have dreamed of taking it away from her now.  
  
"Just for that we're watching _Oklahoma_, next."  
  
Yeah, like it could be any worse than watching ole Daddy Warbucks dancing around her television for the last two hours? Jack shooed her away with a mile as he handed her a bowl of ice cream.  
  
"Fine."  
  
.................  
  
This time he changed the seating arrangement a little. He sat on the end of the couch with Gina beside him and Carter next to her. The little girl was more than happy to be between the two of them, and she finished her ice cream and settled in easily, still leaning against Jack – who was leaning against a big cushion that he'd rested against the arm of the sofa – but she had pulled one of Carter's arms around her, too, so she was pretty much being cuddled from both sides at once. And she loved it.  
  
It was fine with Jack and Sam, too. It was getting late, and they were ready to wind things down a little, and having her in between them like this would keep her from jumping up in the middle of the show and dancing along with the players. She could hum along, no problem, but her dancing was over for the night. Which was okay with her, too.  
  
They hit play on the remote control, and the musical started. And Jack's eyes promptly glazed over once more. This time, he leaned against his cushion, had his arm around Gina, and closed his eyes.  
  
He was asleep before the opening number was over. Oh blissful sleep that kept all evil musicals at bay.  
  
................  
  
"I think Jack's asleep, Sam," Gina whispered softly half way through the movie.  
  
"We'll let him sleep, honey," Sam whispered back. "He's had a long day." His day was really no longer than hers was, but she was pretty sure the musicals had stretched his at least an extra forty hours.  
  
"Okay."  
  
They finished the movie, then Sam told the girl they'd better get to sleep.  
  
"Is Jack going to sleep on the sofa?"  
  
"Yes. He'll be okay there." Sam told her as they got up carefully to avoid waking him. "Go brush your teeth, and I'll get him covered up."  
  
"Can I tuck him in?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Gina went into the bathroom, and Sam went to the hall closet to get Jack a blanket. The rain was still coming down, and the occasional flash of light from outside was telling her that there was a thunderstorm somewhere off in the distance. It was going to smell wonderful outside in the morning, although it might be chilly, and she made sure the blanket she got was heavy enough to keep him warm if it got cold in the house.  
  
He woke up when she was putting his feet up on the sofa to make him a little more comfortable, but he wasn't all that awake, she could tell by the unfocused look in his eyes.  
  
"Morning?"  
  
Sam smiled and looked to make sure Gina was still in the bathroom, and then kissed him softly.  
  
"No, it's night time. The movie's over and you missed most of it."  
  
"Darn."

Yeah, she believed that.  
  
"We're going to bed."  
  
"'Kay."  
  
"Gina's going to come tuck you in."  
  
"'Kay."  
  
He closed his eyes again, but reached out and took her hand before he did.  
  
"Thanks for letting me come over."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure you had a wonder-" She was interrupted when Gina came out of the bathroom and down the hall.  
  
"Is he awake?" She whispered, noticing that Jack had hold of Sam's hand.  
  
"Only a little." Sam whispered back.  
  
Jack opened his eyes, and looked over at the little girl, who smiled.  
  
"Hi, Jack."  
  
"Hi, Sweetheart."  
  
"Sam says I can tuck you in... can I?"  
  
"I can't think of anyone I'd rather have do it."  
  
He let go of Carter's hand, and lay still as Gina pulled his blanket up to his chin, and carefully tucked the blanket all around him, tucking him in quite firmly. Then she hugged him, and pressed a kiss against his forehead.  
  
"Good night, Jack. Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite."  
  
"I'm on the sofa..."  
  
"Sofabugs then."  
  
He smiled, and kissed her cheek softly.  
  
"Good night, Sweetheart."  
  
"Good night, Jack." Sam whispered, smiling to see him so securely tucked in that he couldn't move his arms to hug either one of them. Ah well.  
  
"Night, Sam."  
  
He closed his eyes, and the two left him alone and went down the hall. Sam tucked Gina into her bed, kissed her softly, assured her they could watch _Grease_ the next day, and turned off the light.  
  
"Good night, Gina."  
  
"Night, Sam."


	4. 04

Author's note: No... there will be no Asgard in this one, lol...  
  
......................  
  
BOOM!  
  
The thunder broke over the house with a crash that actually made the windows rattle, and a flash of brilliant light, and a shriek of fear immediately followed it.  
  
Jack's eyes were open immediately, and he was rolling off the couch, looking around for Jaffa that weren't there and grabbing for a gun he didn't have. An instant later there was another loud boom and another bright light, but Jack was awake now, and knew it for what it was. It wasn't an attack. He was on his feet and heading for the hall, untangling himself from the blankets that were around his legs before they tripped him up.  
  
He almost ran over Sam as she came out of her bedroom, her own sound sleep broken by the same frightened cry as Jack's and wearing a slightly confused expression. She didn't know what was going on, really, but she knew what the source was. The guest room and Gina.  
  
"What's-?"  
  
"Gina."  
  
Jack was quicker to wake up than Sam, but not by much. He opened the guest room door and flipped on the light, and saw Gina sitting upright in her bed; eyes wide open with fright and face pale. Obviously she didn't like thunderstorms. Or at least, didn't like being woken up by them. Jack could understand completely. She turned when the light went on.  
  
"Jack!"  
  
He was on the bed beside her in an instant, pulling her into his arms and reassuring her, and Sam was right behind him, taking the other side of the girl and pressing in close, both of them cuddling her.  
  
"It's okay, honey." Sam cooed.  
  
"I-I'm sorry... it scared me..." Gina felt a little stupid for waking them both up now that she realized what the noise had been, but she grabbed at Jack gratefully despite that. She was still pretty shaken up, after all, and he was close.  
  
"Don't be sorry," Jack told her. "It was pretty loud. It even startled me."  
  
"Me, too." Carter told her, running her fingers through the girl's silky hair to soothe her. She was actually shaking.  
  
"It's just thunder, honey," Jack told her, gently. "It can't hurt you, you know?"  
  
She nodded, burying her face against his chest. Jack looked over at Sam for instructions on what to do about this, but she just shrugged. She knew less about kids than he did, after all. He'd had a son. She'd only babysat her brother's kids a couple times, and Cassie once or twice. That hardly made her the expert. He gave her a look she couldn't decipher, and then he shrugged, too. Oh well, they'd hold her and reassure her. There wasn't much else he could think of to do.  
  
They were like that for a very long time. The storm rolled over the house fairly quickly; thunder booming occasionally and lightening flashing, but the worst was soon over. Gina held close to Jack and Sam, though, but her shaking had subsided fairly quickly. Now it was just a matter of being comforted. Which they were doing as well as her mother could have. She relaxed, finally, and closed her eyes, and eventually she fell back to sleep still safely tucked against them. Jack looked at Sam, his eyes asking her what she wanted to do, now, and again she shrugged.  
  
"You go back to sleep, Jack." She whispered. "I'll stay with her."  
  
He wasn't all that certain he could get out from under Gina without waking her up, though, and he didn't want to do that. They'd had a hard enough time getting her to relax enough to sleep once, he wasn't sure they'd be able to do it again. Not without knocking her over the head with one of Sam's boring books and putting her out that way. Something Jack didn't really want to resort to.  
  
"I'm pretty much stuck here, Sam..."  
  
She smiled. He looked so cute with Gina like that. She wished she could take a picture. He caught the grin, of course, and raised an eyebrow questioningly.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
He knew better, and Sam smiled again, and pulled the blanket up over the three of them. If he couldn't move, then they could all just stay there. It wasn't going to hurt anything for her not to sleep in her own bed, and it certainly wouldn't kill Jack to not sleep on the couch. Besides, she was comfortable and tired, and really, where else would she rather be?  
  
Jack nodded when she drew the blanket up. He'd pretty much decided the same thing she had, and he didn't mind being where he was for the rest of the night. He shifted slightly, getting a bit more comfortable, and closed his eyes.  
  
"Night, Jack..." Sam whispered.  
  
"I love you." He said in reply.  
  
She smiled, and closed her eyes as well. God, she loved it when he said mushy stuff like that, and for no reason than because he wanted her to know it. It was definitely the perfect thing to hear right before she fell back to sleep. 


	5. 05

"Sam?"  
  
She heard someone very close at hand say her name very softly, but Carter wasn't really positive she was ready to open her eyes yet. It seemed like she'd only just fallen back to sleep. The voice was insistent, though, although it was still a whisper.  
  
"Sam? Are you awake?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
She was, kinda.  
  
"Jack says breakfast will be ready in ten minutes and if you're not there, he's going to feed it to the pigs."  
  
She opened her eyes. Gina was leaning over her; her big green eyes wide awake, although she looked like she might have only been awake a short time herself.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Jack says that breakfast will be ready in ten minutes, and if you're not there to eat it, he's going to feed it to the pigs." She repeated. "Can I see your pigs?"  
  
"I don't have any pigs, honey," Sam said, sitting up and wondering what time it was. And also wondering how the two of them had managed to get out of bed without waking her up.  
  
"Then he's going to feed your breakfast to something else, I guess..." Gina told her.  
  
"Breakfast?"  
  
"Pancakes."  
  
"Jack's making pancakes?"  
  
"Uh huh. Mine's going to be shaped like a cow."  
  
"On the grill? He's not just making toaster waffles or something?"  
  
"No, he's making pancakes. He said he was, anyways."  
  
Oh, this was bad. He was cooking? In her kitchen? She didn't hear the smoke detector going off, or smell smoke, but she had a feeling it was only a matter of time.  
  
"Ask him if I have time to take a shower, will you?" Might as well be clean for the firemen.  
  
The little girl hopped off the bed and ran out of the room, still wearing her nightgown, Sam saw. She heard the murmur of conversation, mostly Gina's voice, since Jack's wasn't so high and didn't carry down the hallway so easily. A moment later, she was back, running into the room and jumping back up onto the bed.  
  
"He says if you shower fast. Otherwise he's going to feed your breakfast to the goats."  
  
"I don't have..."  
  
"He says he's going to."  
  
"Then I'd better get up, huh?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Tell him I'll be right out."  
  
"Okay."  
  
She jumped off the bed again, and left, and Sam stretched leisurely before she dragged herself out of bed and went to her room to get some clothes to change into after her shower.  
  
............  
  
She probably took longer than the ten minutes he gave her, but by the time Carter stepped out of the bathroom, she could smell breakfast cooking, and she had to admit it smelled pretty good. Sausage and pancakes, her nose was telling her. And coffee. And still no smoke. She walked out into the dining room, and saw the table was made, and there were glasses of orange juice already waiting for the three of them for when they sat down.  
  
"Good morning."  
  
Jack turned from the griddle, still holding the spatula in his hand, and smiled when he saw her up. She always looked so good fresh from the shower like that. Or fresh out of bed. Or fresh from the base. Or fresh... well, she always looked good to him, no matter where she'd been.  
  
"Good morning. How'd you sleep?"  
  
"Great. How long have you been up?"  
  
"Quite a while."  
  
It looked like it, too. Sam could tell he'd showered and shaved, and he'd changed into one of the spare sets of clothing he kept at her house for just such an event. He looked awake enough that she knew he'd been awake long enough to actually wake up. Something that it normally took him a while to do on the weekends.  
  
"Coffee?"  
  
"Please."  
  
"Go sit down, I'll bring it to you."  
  
"Breakfast, too?"  
  
"Yup, it's ready. We've just been waiting on you."  
  
"I'm lucky you didn't feed it to the goats, then, huh?" Sam said as she went over to the table and sat down, watching as Jack shooed Gina out of the kitchen and to the table as well.  
  
"I was ready to."  
  
He brought her a cup of coffee, and set a platter of pancakes and sausages down in the middle of the table.  
  
"Those are for you and me. Gina's is special ordered."  
  
"Shaped like a cow?" Sam remembered the girl mentioning that.  
  
"Yup."  
  
It wasn't really shaped like a cow. Kind of like a camel with upturned ears, but it was the thought that counted, and Gina obviously loved the fact that he went to so much trouble for her. Sam did, too. Jack was at his outrageous best, playing server to the two of them, fetching everything they asked for, and cutting Gina's pancakes even though she said she could do it herself.  
  
It was nice to be waited on, and especially by Jack, Sam thought privately as she started in on her breakfast. It was really good – she knew he could cook when he set his mind to it, but he rarely proved it. She wouldn't have been surprised to come out from the bedroom and find the two of them eating cereal and toast. Usually a real breakfast was a sign of a celebration or something exciting happening, which meant that Jack was truly enjoying having time with Sam and Gina, and not just going through the motions.  
  
"What are you planning on doing today, Sam?"  
  
"I thought Gina and I could hit the zoo." She took a sip of her coffee, noticing for just a moment that his eyes were filled with pain, and then it passed so quickly she almost might have believed she'd imagined it. "Do you want to come?"  
  
"I don't think so..."  
  
"Please come, Jack?" Gina asked, looking at him with her big green eyes that Sam knew Jack couldn't say no to.  
  
"He probably has things to do, Sweetheart." Sam said, softly, knowing that he didn't have things to do, but also knowing that there was a definite reason he didn't want to go to the zoo.  
  
"Nah," Jack put on a look of indifference, then a smile. But it was one that didn't quite light up his brown eyes. Sam noticed. Gina didn't. "If I won't be in the way, I'll be happy to come with you two."  
  
"Yay!"  
  
She smiled at the girl's reaction, but when she looked it him, it was with a look that plainly told him he didn't have to come if he didn't want to. Jack's look was just as easy for her to read. He'd come, because Gina wanted him to.  
  
"But only if you eat all your breakfast," Sam said.  
  
Gina started shoveling pancakes in her mouth so fast that Jack smiled. This time, it did reach his eyes. 


	6. 06

Jack took care of the dishes, shooing both Sam and Gina away when they offered to help. Gina needed to get ready to go, since she was still wearing her pajamas, and Sam could take a chance to relax and read the paper, he said. Really, he just needed a little time alone, although he never would have admitted it to either of them just then.  
  
The zoo. Jack hadn't been to the zoo in years, and there was a very good reason for it. Charlie's favorite place had been the zoo, and Jack had spent more afternoons there than he could even count. Happy afternoons, of course. There was nothing more enjoyable for a parent than to watch your kid running from animal to animal, shouting for you to come see what this critter was doing, or to see what that critter was eating. He'd known all the animals by heart, knew many of them by name, and had spent endless hours in the petting area, cuddling lambs, calves, goats, llamas and every other animal under the sun. Jack hadn't been back since Charlie had died.  
  
He thought about all this as he rinsed dishes and put them into the dishwasher. Tried to sort through his feelings as he cleaned the griddle, and wiped off the tables and counters. He couldn't, though. They were too complex for him to sort, too jumbled for him to straighten into one straight thought or feeling. It was just one of those things he'd have to face as it came to him, and just hope he _could_ face it.  
  
"I'm ready, Jack!"  
  
He was pulled out of his brooding thoughts by Gina's cheerful voice, and Jack turned to look at her, clearing his face of any expression that might have given away the darkness of his thoughts. He was good at that, after all.  
  
"How do I look?" She posed for him, and Jack smiled as he hung up the towel he'd been using.  
  
"You look perfect."  
  
Sam came into the kitchen as well, coming up behind Gina and scooping the little girl up into a hug.  
  
"You're ready?"  
  
Gina squealed happily. "Yup!"  
  
"Then we'd better get going."  
  
She set Gina down and the little girl ran for the door, leaving her and Jack alone for a moment.  
  
"You sure you want to come?" Sam said, softly. "You don't have to."  
  
"It's okay, Sam." He gave her a sad smile, although she was certain he'd intended for it to be a cheerful one. "I like the zoo."  
  
"You're sure?"  
  
He nodded and put his arm around her, walking with her to the door, and stopping just long enough to grab his keys and his wallet.  
  
"I think a day out with my two best gals is just the thing I need after a big breakfast. Don't you, Gina?"  
  
"Yup!"  
  
Sam didn't look quite a convinced as the little girl, but it didn't matter. He'd made his decision, and he wouldn't turn back from it, now.  
  
"We'll take my truck."  
  
.......................  
  
The storm that had rolled through the area the night before left in its wake a beautiful morning. There were very few clouds in the brilliant blue sky, and the air was fresh and clean. It was a little chilly, maybe, but it'd warm up before too long, and the day was far too beautiful to sit inside and wait. Jack loaded Gina into the jump seat behind the passenger seat of hi truck, then watched as she buckled herself in before he moved so Sam could get in as well. As she passed him, Sam reached out and touched him gently. It was just a reminder that she loved him, nothing more. He flashed her a smile, and waited for her to get in before he closed the door behind her, and went around to the driver's side.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"Yup!"  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yup!"  
  
"Positive?"  
  
"Jack!"  
  
"Gina!"  
  
Sam smiled, and Jack started the truck.  
  
They weren't the only ones who'd decided that the zoo was the place to spend a clear bright morning. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was always a bustling place. Jack remembered that from before, and it was no different now, years later. Finding a spot to park took a lot longer than he remembered, and eventually he ended up dropping Sam and Gina at the front gate, and telling them he'd meet them in a bit. He didn't want to wear the little girl out just running in the parking lot, after all. He parked way out in the boontoolies and walked to the entrance where they were waiting for him with passes already in hand. Jack took Gina's left hand, Sam took her right hand, and the three of them went in.  
  
...................  
  
It wasn't as bad as O'Neill had thought it might be. There were only a few times his mind had wandered back into the past, and only a few times that he'd found himself staring bleakly at a particular spot that he and his son had frequented more than others. The elephants had been one of them. While Gina and Sam oohed and ahhed over the big creatures, Jack swallowed a lump when he realized that most of them were the same ones that he and Charlie had oohed and ahhed over. He found he remembered their names, as if he'd been here only yesterday. And that had hurt.  
  
Another spot was the Carousel. It was an impressive thing, with its bright animals and loud music, and it had been another favorite. And now it was another memory that made Jack stop and take a moment while Sam and Gina went on ahead and rode without him.  
  
Sam didn't know for sure what was wrong, but she suspected it was something to do with Charlie, and whenever she saw the faraway haunted look in his eyes, she'd take hold of Gina to distract the girl, and give Jack the space he needed without him asking for it. It didn't happen many times, and it never lasted for too long, and the rest of the time he was wonderful company and it was a wonderful day. He knew the zoo very well, and pointed out things that Gina and Sam would definitely have missed. He even took them over so they could feed the giraffes, something that had enthralled Gina.  
  
Carter had only intended for them to spend the morning there, but with Jack as tour guide pointing out everything around them – and even better, willing to carry Gina on his back or shoulders when she got tired of walking – the three of them spent the entire day there, stopping only for drinks and lunch, and bathroom breaks. The sun was well on its way towards the western part of the sky by the time they finally called it a day and headed for the gates. A short wait while Jack brought the truck to them so a sore-footed Gina and slightly weary Sam wouldn't have to trek across the parking lot, and they were heading for home.  
  
"What's for dinner?" Jack asked as he pulled the truck onto the highway. Might as well ask and see if they needed to stop somewhere.  
  
"I have chicken in the freezer. We can have that." Sam told him. She turned to look at Gina, who was sitting behind Jack this time. "Chicken okay with you, Gina?"  
  
"I love chicken."  
  
"Jack?"  
  
"Are you cooking?"  
  
Sam smiled. "Yup."  
  
"Then chicken sounds great."  
  
He could make a chicken soup in the crock-pot, but that was about it. 


	7. 07

"I'm going to go take a shower."  
  
"We'll start dinner."  
  
They'd jut arrived at Sam's house, and Jack was aching from toting Gina around all afternoon – she'd managed fairly well the morning hours, and had only really started flagging the last part of the day. A lot of hot water was just the remedy for the aches, Jack knew, and he was looking forward to it.  
  
"Need me to do anything, first?" He asked Carter.  
  
"Nope." She smiled at him and then down at Gina. "I have a helper."  
  
The girl preened. She was the _helper_!  
  
He smiled, and headed for the bathroom, and a few minutes later they heard the shower running.  
  
"Sam?"  
  
Carter looked up from the potato she was peeling, and over at Gina – who was the potato rinser.  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"Are you going to marry Jack?"  
  
Sam almost cut her finger in surprise at the question. She put the knife down.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Jack. Are you going to marry him?"  
  
"I don't know, Sweetheart. Why?"  
  
"If you don't, can I marry him?"  
  
Sam smiled.  
  
"I think he'd rather you married someone a bit younger." Quite a bit younger.  
  
"He's nice."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And funny."  
  
"I know."  
  
"He likes you."  
  
"I like him, too, Gina."  
  
"So are you going to marry him?"  
  
"Maybe. Someday."  
  
Gina nodded, and went back to rinsing off the potatoes for Sam to peel. Carter picked her knife back up, thinking the questions were over, and went back to what she'd been doing, although she couldn't help but smile every time she thought of Gina asking her if she could marry Jack.  
  
"He has sad eyes, sometimes..." Gina said, softly a few minutes later, making Sam look over at the girl once more. She wasn't looking up from her potatoes, though, and was rinsing them carefully, taking her job seriously.  
  
"What do you mean, honey?"  
  
"You can always tell what he's thinking," Gina told her, looking up. "If you look at his eyes. Today they were sad sometimes. Happy most of the time, but every now and then..." She trailed off, shrugging.  
  
She was wrong, Sam thought. It was almost impossible to tell what Jack was thinking unless you knew him well. The fact that Gina could read him so well was only because he'd had so much trouble keeping the usual walls up that he normally used to keep himself apart from his emotions. Or maybe he just didn't think he needed to keep them up when he was around the little girl. He didn't use them so often with Sam, either.  
  
"He's had sad things happen to him, Gina." Sam said. She wasn't going to go into any detail, though. "Sometimes he stops and thinks about them. We all do."  
  
"I don't like seeing him sad."  
  
"I know, honey. I don't either." She gave the girl a reassuring smile. "But he's not sad, now. And I know he's looking forward to another night of fun."  
  
"Maybe we shouldn't watch Grease?"  
  
Wow. Maybe she did read him better than Sam thought. She paused for a moment, but shook her head.  
  
"We can watch whatever you want to." Sam said. "Jack is happy just being with us. He doesn't care what we're doing."  
  
"She's right."  
  
A new voice made them both start, and Sam dropped the knife she was peeling potatoes with as Jack came up behind them, still damp from his shower, and wearing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. His brown eyes were sparkling with humor as he bent down and picked up the knife Sam had dropped and handed it back to her.  
  
"I don't care what we do. As long as I'm spending time with you."  
  
"Really?" Gina asked, smiling at him. Standing on the chair like she was, she was the same height as O'Neill and could look him in the eye.  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Will you let me teach you to dance?"  
  
Ohhh! Busted! Sam grinned, the expression unnoticed by Gina, who was facing the other direction, but easily seen by Jack, who suppressed his scowl at the very last minute.  
  
"I already know how to dance."  
  
"What kind of dancing?" Gina challenged, smiling. She knew there'd be a dance he couldn't do, and she could teach him. Jack knew it, too.  
  
"All kinds..."  
  
"Can you line dance?"  
  
"Uh..." He didn't have a clue what line dancing was. "I can disco."  
  
Gina smiled, and behind her, Sam's grin was ear to ear.  
  
"Line dancing's great, Jack. Can I teach you?"  
  
Like he could say no to that face? Oh, not that he didn't want to, though! Line dancing??  
  
"Only if you teach Sam, too."  
  
"Sure!" Gina's smile was as big as the one that faltered on Sam's face at the stipulation, and it was Jack's turn to grin when he saw Carter's reaction. "One can learn as easily as two, or three... even a whole room of people."  
  
"We'll stick with just us, for now," Jack said. 


	8. 08

He made her wait until after dinner was eaten, and after the dishes were done. Really, he'd pretty much hoped that a full belly on top of a long day of walking might make her too tired to want to do anything else. But it didn't. She was young. Energetic. And she had a dancer's stamina, since she'd been dancing all her life. Jack was stuck. But at least he wasn't stuck alone.  
  
"Line dances are easy," Gina said as she watched Jack push the sofa against the far wall, and watched Sam clear the coffee table and end tables out of the way. This left a very large space in the living room for them to use as a makeshift dance floor. "Luckily, I brought CDs or we wouldn't be able to do this."  
  
Yes, lucky him, Jack thought, resigned to a night that was probably going to be as bad as a night of _Annie_.  
  
Sam grinned, because she had a feeling she knew exactly what Jack was thinking.  
  
Gina took control of them, then. She was just as good a teacher as her mother was, she claimed, and Jack and Sam both believed it by the time they were finished. The little girl stood between the two of them, showing them the steps of the dances she wanted to teach them. Showing them when to step forward, or back, or to slide their feet, and stomp. Even clapping was a part of line dancing, Jack and Sam found out. She obviously knew the dance well, and her love for it was plain to see. Which made Jack actually give far more of an effort than he might have. And the effort actually increased his enjoyment.  
  
He wasn't stupid, of course, and he had a fair memory, so he didn't have trouble learning the moves and steps, he even managed to get a little rhythm – very little, but enough that he could move in time with the music when Gina decided the two of them knew the steps well enough to try it in proper time.  
  
Sam picked it up easily. She was graceful and brilliant, and even though he wasn't terrible at the line dances Gina taught them, Sam was so much better that it made him look like a heavy-footed oaf. But he didn't mind. He was used to her being better at things than he was. After all, she was a rocket scientist, right? He was just a grunt.  
  
"Good, Jack!" Gina was lavish with her praise when one of them made a move exceptionally well, and she was just as quick to point out a misstep. Which there were plenty of at first.  
  
"Thanks, Gina." He smiled condescendingly at Sam. "Hear that? I'm good."  
  
"Yeah, yeah." Sam wasn't so impressed. She'd just seen him trip over his own foot two minutes before. "Teacher's pet."  
  
"You're just jealous."  
  
"Am not."  
  
"Are."  
  
"No, I _are_ not."  
  
Jack smiled, and stomped his foot in time to the music once more as the final note of the song sounded from Sam's stereo.  
  
"Okay, Gina." Sam said, looking at her watch. It was hard to believe they'd actually spent all evening line dancing. Harder to believe that Jack had participated so willingly. "Once through it from the beginning to make sure we can do it, then we need to get some sleep. It's getting late."  
  
"I thought we were going to have ice cream?" Jack said as Gina set the controls of the CD player.  
  
"We can have it tomorrow." Sam promised.  
  
Gina nodded. She didn't care if she had to wait for her ice cream. She would much rather go through the dance again.  
  
"Ready?" She asked them.  
  
The two positioned themselves in their spots and nodded. Gina hit play, and the music started, and she watched them from the front as they went through the entire song without missing a step, or stomping in the wrong spot – although Jack clapped once in the wrong spot – right in the middle of a rest, and Sam rolled her eyes at him.  
  
Gina clapped for them when the song (and dance) finished, and both of her pupils took deep bows, slightly out of breath, but grinning from their own successes.  
  
"Good job!"  
  
"Thanks." Jack pulled her into his arms for a hug, quietly thanking her for a very good way to end what had been a rough day for him. He wouldn't have chose dancing himself, but it had been far more fun than he'd expected, and he was glad she'd given him the puppy dog eyes to convince him to do it. Not that it meant he'd want to do it every day, but it was hard to hate something when your teacher loved it so much.  
  
Sam hugged her, too, and sent her off to get ready for bed.  
  
"That was fun." She said, as she and Jack pushed the couch back into its spot, and rearranged the rest of the furniture where it belonged.  
  
"Yeah." He set her lamp back on the end table, and Sam looked over at him.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"Yeah." He gave her a smile, and plopped down on the couch with a deep, contented sigh. He'd been on his feet too much that day. She sat down next to him, just barely touching him, and reached for his hand, which he was more than willing to give her.  
  
"Long day..."  
  
He nodded.  
  
"But it was a good one."  
  
"Really?"  
  
He nodded again.  
  
"Every day I spend with you is a good one, Sam." She felt his hand squeeze hers a little, and she smiled.  
  
"Even dancing?" She teased.  
  
"Yup."  
  
Sam started to say something, but Gina came running down the hall just then, and she launched herself into Jack's lap. He caught her easily – she hardly weighed all that much, after all – and settled her between the two of them.  
  
"You ready for bed?" Sam asked.  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"Brushed your teeth?" Jack asked.  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Combed your hair?" He ran his fingers through her silky black hair.  
  
"No, it's just going to get messy again. Why comb it?"  
  
"That's my girl."  
  
"Will you tuck me in, Jack?"  
  
"It's only fair since you tucked me in last night."  
  
He stood up while Gina gave Sam a hug and a kiss, and told her goodnight, then Jack scooped her up and headed down the hallway with her.  
  
"Jack?" Gina looked up as O'Neill put her on the bed and started pulling the covers up.  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"How old do I have to be to get married?"  
  
"Fifty."  
  
"Fifty?"  
  
"Maybe fifty-five. Depends on who you're marrying."  
  
"How old will you be when I'm fifty?"  
  
"Old." He grinned, wondering what she was asking all this for, and tucked the blanket around her. "Why?"  
  
"Just wondering."  
  
Uh huh.  
  
"Go to sleep, sweetheart. We can talk more about it in the morning." When he wasn't tired.  
  
"Okay, Jack."  
  
He bent over and kissed her cheek, smiling to find himself in such a position, although there was also that slight ache that he felt when he remembered tucking Charlie in. This was suppressed, though. He didn't want to feel sad any more than day.  
  
"Sleep good."  
  
"I will, Jack. You, too."  
  
She closed her eyes, and he left the room, turning the light off as he did.  
  
"That didn't take too long," Sam noted as she watched him come down the hall. She was still sitting on the sofa, and he came over and sat down next to her.  
  
"How long did you think it'd take?"  
  
"I figured she'd at least get a bedtime story out of you."  
  
"Nope. She didn't even ask."

Thank God. Jack didn't know a lot of bedtime stories. Certainly none appropriate for a little girl. He leaned against Sam and closed his eyes as she wrapped her arms around him. With company in the house they wouldn't do anything more than cuddle, but it was contact they both enjoyed, and Jack needed.  
  
"Tired?" She asked him, softly.  
  
"Mmm-hmmm."  
  
"I should let you get some sleep, then." She kissed his cheek, and he nodded.  
  
"Probably." He opened his eyes. "What do you have planned for tomorrow?"  
  
"I'm not sure. Her mom will be back tomorrow night, but her sister's going to come get her about noon."  
  
"So soon?"  
  
"Mm-hmmm."  
  
He scowled, and she smiled.  
  
"I'm going to bed."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Need tucked in?"  
  
"Nah. Do you?"  
  
"If I get you in my bed, I'll have trouble kicking you out, so you should probably just stay where you are..."  
  
The gleam in his eyes was positively naughty, but he nodded his agreement.  
  
"I'll see you in the morning."  
  
She kissed him again, stood up and headed down the hall to her bedroom, well aware that was watching her the entire way.


	9. 09

Carter woke early the next morning. The sun was filtering into her bedroom window, but the length of the shadows were enough to tell her that the day had barely begun, yet, so she stretched and debated going back to sleep for a while. She probably had a while before Jack or Gina were awake, after all. Then she smiled, and decided she'd get up and surprise them with breakfast like they had surprised her the morning before. With that in mind, she pushed back the covers and got up, padding down the hallway on bare feet. Only to find the two of them were already up, and sitting at the dining room table, eating and conversing in quiet voices.  
  
They both looked up when she appeared, and they both gave her welcoming smiles.  
  
"Good morning, Sam." Jack said, his eyes lighting up when he saw her. Which was one way she knew just how much he loved her, since they never lit up like that for anyone else. Well... sometimes for Shawn, but that was different, and Sam knew it.  
  
"Morning, Sam." Gina said at the same time, smiling broadly, and taking another bite of her breakfast.  
  
Sam smiled in returned, and then realized what they were eating, and the smile faded slightly.  
  
"Good morning... Jack? Is that _ice cream_?"  
  
"Yup. Want me to get you some?"  
  
"You can't eat ice cream for breakfast..." God, her mother would never let her come back if she found out Gina was eating like that here.  
  
"We're not. We had toast for breakfast. This is dessert."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Oh." Yeah, that made everything all right. Sam shook her head, and Jack smiled.  
  
"Don't worry, Sam. Ice cream's good for you. It's frozen milk, right?"  
  
"Um... yes..."  
  
"There ya have it."  
  
Yeah, that made a ton of sense, Sam thought wryly.  
  
"Want some, Sam?" Gina asked, taking another bite. She, of course, didn't have a problem having ice cream for breakfast. Jack was corrupting her nicely.  
  
"Um... no." Carter gave a wobbly smile, "I think I'll have some coffee, and then take a shower."  
  
Jack stood up and went into the kitchen to get it.  
  
"Sit down, Sam." He told her, smiling, as he reached for a mug.  
  
She did what he told her, mainly because she really wanted some coffee, and that was the best way to get it.  
  
Sure enough, he brought it to her, with a soft smile and a gentle touch, and Sam took a sip gratefully.  
  
"So, what have you two been talking about over your... um... _breakfast_?"  
  
"_Dessert_." Jack corrected. "Oh, Gina's trying to convince me to do some more dancing this morning, since I told her you didn't have anything specific planned." There wasn't the expected 'God help us all' look in his eyes, so Sam had a feeling Gina had said something really convincing to him.  
  
"And...?"  
  
"And apparently I'm going to learn how to waltz before her sister gets here."  
  
"Just you?"  
  
"Oh, no."  
  
"And Gina?"  
  
"Guess again."  
  
The twinkle in his eyes was so contagious that Sam smiled, too, despite the fact that she was condemning herself to a morning of waltzing.  
  
"Do I have time to shower?"  
  
"Of course." Jack took a bite of his ice cream. "I don't want a stinky partner, after all."  
  
Gina snorted – an act that reminded Sam that despite her mature act, the girl was still only 10, and very much amused by such things. Jack grinned, and Sam knew that no matter how old he got, such things'd always amuse him as well. And she loved that.  
  
"Let me go get showered, then." She said, taking another sip of her coffee. "You guys set up the dance floor."  
  
She stood up, took another look at their 'breakfast' and shook her head as she walked back down the hall and towards her bedroom. Oh, no child was safe from him!  
  
..............  
  
She showered quickly. Not because she was in a hurry to get back out there and dance, but because she was in a hurry to get back out there before they decided they'd better have seconds – or thirds – while they waited for her. Of course, she had no idea how long he'd been awake, so they could already be on their thirds for all she knew. She dried off, dressed comfortably in jeans and a polo shirt, and headed back into the living room with only socks on her feet.  
  
They'd pushed the furniture aside again, and the dance floor was waiting. So were her partner, and her instructor. Jack held out his hand to her, and she took it, smiling at him, but then looking at Gina for instruction. She didn't know how to waltz, either.  
  
"It's easy," Gina said.  
  
Oh, sure. Everything was easy for her.  
  
"It seems easy enough, Sam," Jack assured her. "She's already given me the steps..."  
  
He moved his feet, looking down at them, and Carter did the same. Yeah, that was basic enough.  
  
"It's not as complicated as line dancing, Sam, although it looks more impressive when there's a lot of people." Gina told her, clearly going into instructor mode.  
  
Sam nodded, and gave herself up to the two of them, figuring the worst that could happen was that he'd tromp all over her feet, and they'd end up falling on their collective rears. At least her carpeting was soft.  
  
.............  
  
It didn't happen, of course. Jack was more graceful than that, and a quicker learner than most people thought, and Gina was a better teacher than that, also. Sam, of course, learned the steps quickly, and since she'd long since lost any self-consciousness with Jack, they had no problem blending together for the close dance. It was simply a matter of getting their feet to go along with them. Gina clapped out the time, calling out which foot to move, or which way to turn, and they responded as best as they could.  
  
For a little over two hours they danced, until Jack finally called a halt to it. His knees weren't really up to a lot of dancing in the morning, although he didn't say that. He simply told them he was ready to stop, and they agreed. If Jack didn't want to dance anymore, Gina was, of course, willing to let him stop. And while it was fun and sweet to be with Jack, 9 am dancing wasn't the best way to wake up, as far as Sam was concerned, so she was ready to stop, too.  
  
"What time will her sister be here?" Jack asked as they put the couch and other furniture back.  
  
"About noon."  
  
"We have time to go get something to eat, then?"  
  
"Yeah." She smiled. "I thought you had toast?"  
  
"We did, but that was hours ago. I'm hungry." He looked over at Gina, who was stowing her waltzing CD. "Are you hungry, Gina?"  
  
"Starving."  
  
"See?"  
  
"Okay, so we go eat." She was hungry, too. She hadn't even had toast or ice cream. Just a little coffee.  
  
"Go get your stuff together, honey," Jack told Gina, pulling her into a hug. "Then we'll go get breakfast – or brunch or whatever – and send you home stuffed to the gills."  
  
"Okay Jack."  
  
She took off down the hall, and Sam looked over at him.  
  
"How did she convince you to dance all morning?"  
  
"Hmm?" He acted like he didn't have a clue what she meant, but Sam knew better.  
  
"Come on... what did she say?"  
  
"Nothing..."  
  
"You're lying."  
  
"Yeah, a little." He smiled, and pulled her close for a second. "I'll tell you later, if you remember to ask."  
  
Oh, she'd remember.  
  
"I'd better go get some shoes on."  
  
"Yup."  
  
He let her go so she could head to her room for shoes, and Jack sat down on the couch to wait for them, grinning. 


	10. 10

They piled into Jack's truck. Not that he had a problem with Sam's driving, but he usually preferred to drive when he and Sam went anywhere. For that matter, he preferred to drive when he and Daniel went somewhere. Or he and pretty much anyone. It was probably a control thing, he was sure, but he never really mentioned it, so none of them could psychoanalyze him about it.  
  
"Pancakes?" He asked them as they pulled out into traffic.  
  
"French toast!" Gina called from behind Sam.  
  
"Sam?"  
  
"Anything's fine."  
  
Sure. Anything except ice cream.  
  
"Okay." He wondered if IHOP sold French toast. They probably did, so that was where he headed, since it was one of his favorite places to eat out with Sam.  
  
"Good morning Jack. Morning, Sam." The waitress that seated them smiled warmly at the couple, then down at Gina. "Who's this angel?" She didn't look all that much like Jack or Sam, so the waitress couldn't even hazard a guess.  
  
"This is Gina." Sam said, smiling. "Gina, this is Carol."  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Hi, Gina, it's a pleasure to meet you."  
  
"You, too."  
  
"Coffee, you guys?"  
  
Jack nodded, "Please."  
  
"Sam?"  
  
"Yes, please."  
  
"Gina?"  
  
Gina looked at Jack, who smiled.  
  
"There's juice, hot chocolate, or chocolate milk. It's a little early for soda."  
  
"But not for ice cream?" Sam asked.  
  
"It's never too early for ice cream, Sam," Carol told her with a smile. She looked at Gina to see if the girl had decided what she wanted to drink.  
  
"Hot chocolate, please."  
  
"You got it."  
  
Carol was back in only a couple minutes with a couple steaming cups of coffee, and a mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream piled high and sprinkled with tiny chocolate chips. From the way Gina's eyes lit up, it was clear she approved.  
  
"You two come here a lot?" She asked.  
  
"All the time." Sam confirmed.  
  
It was clear Gina liked the place, too, which meant that it'd most likely end up being their place to take the girl whenever she was with them. Which was fine with Sam.  
  
They ordered their breakfast and talked about what Gina's mother was doing in Vegas while they waited for their food. Then conversation ceased while they ate, although it started right back up any time Gina's mouth was empty enough to ask a question or answer one. She asked about how the other campers were doing. Not the girls from France, whom she'd more or less kept in contact with, but more about the China boys, who had been Jack, Daniel and Teal'c's kids.  
  
Jack told her everything he could about all of them – avoiding too much information about what Shawn had been up to; since that was hardly something he wanted to share. She found out everything else, though, and Jack promised her that the next time he had the boys all together for something like their helicopter ride, he'd make sure she was invited, too.  
  
It was getting a little late, so they finished eating, Jack and Sam finished their coffee, they said goodbye to Carol, and they got into Jack's truck and headed back to Sam's.  
  
Apparently, somebody's clock wasn't set right, because when Jack pulled up to the street, they found a brown Ford parked in front of the house, and a young woman who looked a lot like Gina sitting on the hood, looking as though she'd been waiting for quite a while.  
  
"That's Mary," Gina said, pointing.  
  
Jack stopped the truck and smiled at the young lady, apologizing for keeping her waiting. She didn't mind at all, and said she'd only been waiting a few minutes, anyways.  
  
"I had to make a couple stops, and I didn't know how long it would take to get here," She said, smiling at Sam, who she'd met when Carter had been by to pick up Gina. "So I don't mind waiting."  
  
"Come in for something to drink?" Sam offered.  
  
She shook her head, apologetically. "I can't. My... uh... friend is waiting for us. He's taking us to the movies."  
  
"Her _boy_friend," Gina told them all, which caused Mary to blush, and Jack and Sam to smile.  
  
"I'll go get your stuff for you, Gina." Jack told her. He excused himself, and left the three of them to their talk of boyfriends while he went into the house and gathered her things, which she'd left near the door before they'd left for breakfast. Then it was a simple matter of taking the backpack and the little duffle bag out to the rest of them and putting it into the trunk, which Mary opened for him.  
  
"It was really nice of you to watch her, Sam," Mary was saying while Jack loaded the trunk.  
  
"It was great having her. Tell your mom I'd be happy to have her anytime the need comes up."  
  
"I'll do that." She looked down at her little sister. "We'd better get going. Did you tell them thank you?"  
  
Gina shook her head.  
  
"Thanks, Sam. Thanks, Jack."  
  
Sam hugged Gina tightly. "You come visit anytime."  
  
"I will."  
  
She turned to Jack, and held her arms up so he'd pick her up, which he did.  
  
"It was good to see you, honey."  
  
"You, too, Jack." She hugged him tightly, and he returned it just as enthusiastically.  
  
"Don't forget what we talked about."  
  
"I won't," he promised.  
  
Then he set her on her feet and she got into the car.  
  
Sam moved over to stand next to him while they watched Mary get behind the wheel, and Jack put his arm around her automatically.  
  
Gina gave them another wave as they drove off, and then she was gone.  
  
Jack sighed, and Sam smiled.  
  
"I told you at camp that you couldn't keep her."  
  
"I know. But she's so _cute_."  
  
"I know."  
  
They headed back into the house.  
  
"What did she mean when she told you to remember what you talked about?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
Oh, yes. Pretend you didn't hear the question. Sam didn't buy it for a minute.  
  
"What did you two talk about?"  
  
"When?"  
  
Sam changed tactics.  
  
"What did she have to tell you to get you to dance for her this morning?"  
  
"What makes you think she had to tell me anything?" He asked innocently. "Maybe I just felt like waltzing."  
  
He closed the door behind her, and they went into the living room.  
  
"Maybe you felt like waltzing?"  
  
There was no way she'd buy that, and he knew it. He smiled, and pulled her into his arms.  
  
"If you must know..."  
  
"Oh, I must."  
  
"Last night when I tucked her in, we talked about marriage."  
  
"Oh? Whose?"  
  
"Hers, at first."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I told her she had to be fifty."  
  
"You didn't."  
  
"Of course I did."  
  
Sam rested her head on Jack's shoulder, smiling.  
  
"And then...?"  
  
"And then this morning, over our first bowl of ice cream, she reminded me that I told her we could talk about it later, so she brought it up again."  
  
"And...?"  
  
"She told me that if I wanted to marry you, it was okay with her, she'd relinquish all claim to me. For a price."  
  
"Dancing?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. Whenever she wanted to."  
  
"Wow. That's quite a price to pay."  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"I almost told her no."  
  
"You did not."  
  
"Of course not." He rested his chin on the top of her head. "The time's going to come when things are in a place where you and I can get married, you know?"  
  
She nodded. She knew that. Neither of them was ready just then, and she wasn't in a hurry. She had him. As much of him as she wanted. When things were more settled at the SGC, and one of them – or both – was ready to stop doing what they were doing, then they'd make it official. There was time for all that. She knew that, and he knew that, too.  
  
"So, until then..."  
  
"Until then, it's dance lessons whenever she comes for a visit – and I'm here."  
  
"And, of course, you'll always be here, because you can't stay away from her."  
  
"Pretty much."  
  
Pretty much, nothing. He was addicted, and Sam knew it. She'd have to remember that, and make sure to invite Gina over more often.  
  
The end!  
  
Author's note: There were a lot of ways I could have ended this one, including, of course, a proposal and engagement. But I'm not ready for that, just yet. So the story is done! I hoped you liked it. Remember, there was no purpose in it, it's just for fun, and because I wanted to touch base with that little girl. (Besides, I wanted to write something utterly sappy) 


End file.
